QUEER INTELLIGENCE SERVICE

GAY PROTEST DISRUPTS CARDINAL WINNING LECTURE

Gay campaigners protesting against
Section 28
interrupted a lecture by Cardinal Winning in Croydon, south London,
on the evening of Tuesday, 7th March.

The brief peaceful protest took place in St. Mary's Catholic Church Hall,
where the Cardinal was giving the 12th annual Cobb Memorial Lecture,
in honour of the First World War conscientious objector, Charles Cobb.

The Cardinal's lecture was on the themes of social justice,
respect and solidarity.

Twenty minutes into his lecture,
when Cardinal Winning was extolling the importance of respecting other people,
Peter Tatchell of OutRage!, who was sitting in the audience, shouted out:
"Why don't you respect gay people? Why do you oppose gay human rights?"

Ignoring the interjection, the Cardinal continued his lecture.

Six members of the gay rights group OutRage! then walked onto the platform
and surrounded Cardinal Winning, holding up placards emblazoned with the
words "Stop Crucifying Queers"
and "Apologise for Church Homophobia".

Mr. Tatchell took the microphone and criticised the Cardinal's support
for laws that discriminate against lesbians and gay men.
Another OutRage! member, Huw Williams, shouted at Cardinal Winning:
"It's about time you stopped supporting discrimination".

Church officials ripped down the placards and tried unsucessfully
to hustle the protesters off the platform.

The police were called and eventually the protesters left peacefully.
One member of OutRage! was arrested but was later released without charge
outside the meeting.

"It is hypocritical for Cardinal Winning to talk about justice, respect and
solidarity, when he denies these things to lesbians and gay men",
said Peter Tatchell.

"Inviting the Cardinal to give this lecture
is an insult to the memory of Charles Cobb.
Whereas Cobb took a stand against injustice,
Cardinal Winning endorses the injustice of antigay discrimination.

"Cardinal Winning opposes gay equality on Section 28, the age of consent,
marriage, employment, military service and the fostering and adoption of
children.

"He has condemned love between people of the same sex as a
'disorder' and 'perversion',
and he endorses the Catholic catechism's denunciation of
homosexuality as a 'grave depravity'", said Mr. Tatchell.